Prep football: Highlands Christian pulls away from First Baptist in second half

NAPLES - Preseason games are rarely played with perfection, yet Friday night's matchup of First Baptist Academy and visiting Pompano-Beach Highlands Christian was spirited enough to keep things interesting.

With a dominant second half, though, the visiting Knights pulled away for a 40-12 victory.

With the dress rehearsal out of the way, the FBA Lions will get their regular season under way next Friday night, hosting Moore Haven in a Class 1B-6 district showdown.

The big offensive strike for the Lions was a thrilling 86-yard kickoff return by junior Rick Beaubrin with 11:40 left in the first half — only 14 seconds after the Knights had taken a 6-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.

The First Baptist defense was repeatedly tested by Knights senior quarterback Michael Gray, who showed the ability to spray the ball around the field both on the run and from the pocket. Gray seemed to be able to flip the ball long distances with little effort.

In the first quarter, Beaubrin recovered a Highlands Christian fumble near the goal line, and returned it to the Knights' 29.

FBA's Kyle Radcliffe had an interception to thwart a Knights TD bid with 21 seconds left in the first half.

Sophomore running back Alex Garcia showed some strong potential for the Lions, as did sophomore quarterback Corey Todd, who hooked up with Jonah Bueltel on a 10-yard TD pass late in the game.

The start of Friday night's preseason affair was delayed 45 minutes by lightning in the area.